PCC: Milk retort facilities soon in Bohol, Zambo Sur

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) will put up milk retort facilities in Bohol and Zamboanga del Sur as part of an aim to supply 100 percent of the government’s milk feeding program and improve revenue that has so far reached P2 billion for dairy farmers.

Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary DeograciasVictor B. Savellano said DA will work to close the 13 percent gap in the milk supply for the program.

“We need to overcome the lingering 13 percent dependency on commercially-outsourced milk,” said Savellano.

According to Joel Cabading, PCC milk program coordinator, a retort facility costs P35 million for the whole setup. It is funded under the United States government’s Public Law 480 (Agricultural Trade Development & Assistance and Act).

The establishment of the retort facilities will ensure nutrition and food safety for Filipino children. At the same time, it will raise livelihood opportunities for Filipino dairy farmers in Visayas and Mindanao.

The DA-attached PCC will also establish milk laboratories within 12 regional centers.  This will make milk testing centers for food safety more accessible to dairy farmers in the outskirts. Senator Cynthia Villar has supported funding for this project, Cabading explained.

Dr. Caro Salces, PCC officer-in-charge executive director, said traditional logistical methods in milk delivery have caused delays and supply shortages in schools in the countryside. The retort facilities, however, will support PCC’s delivery capabilities.

Retort technology extends the shelf life of milk while retaining milk’s nutrition content. It sterilizes and preserves the milk through heat processing and airtight packaging.

Since 2019, the government’s milk-feeding program has so far nourished 4.2 million children.  It has boosted the income of 53 PCC-assisted cooperatives that have generated a combined revenue of P2 billion.

PCC already has retort facilities in Isabela, Science City of Munoz, Batangas, and Sorsogon.

The milk feeding program is governed by Republic Act 11037 or the “Masunstansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act.”

For 2024, 50 percent of the milk supply will be provided by PCC’s assisted dairy cooperatives for the 2024 program. The other half will be supplied by cooperatives assisted by the National Dairy Authority (NDA).

PCC is further beefing up the productivity of carabao smallholder farms through the National Dairy Herd Improvement System (NDHIS).

Assisted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, NDHIS will improve milk production through an increased number of dairy animals. Milk production will also increase through sufficient feeding of animals.  There will be the buildup of dairy herds through a cooperative conduit scheme.  Artificial insemination will also be carried out in order to raise the reproduction of superior dairy animals.

Carabao dairy farmers in the Philippines assisted by PCC have been experiencing an increase in income due to PCC interventions.

In 2022, the average farmer’s income increased by 20 percent from P94,403 to P113,285.  For 2024, the projected increase in income is seen at 20 percent to P135,941.  This is expected to improve further to P163,130 or by another 20 percent growth.

Total milk sales from Carabao-based Enterprise Development (CBED) of PCC stood in 2022 at P792,819 million for 4.548 million liters of traded milk.

By the end of 2023, it will increase further to P911.742 million (5.230 million liters).  By 2024 and 2025, milk sales will reach P1.048 billion (6.014 million liters) and P1.205 billion (6.917 million liters.

For the milk feeding program, partner school division offices (SDO) nationwide totaled to 107 in 2022. Partner SDOs will further increase to 115, 125, and 140 from 2023 to 2025.

Number of children to be benefitted will reach to 1.397 million in 2023 and 1.467 million in 2024.  By 2025, beneficiaries will reach 1.54 million children.